Means for automatically tensioning paying out or hauling in rope on a hoisting drum



' Dec. 2, 1958 J. C. SMALTZ MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY TENSIONING PAYING OUT OR HAULING IN ROPE ON A HOISTING DRUM Filed March 1, 1956 INVENTOR. Jaw/v SM 72 United States Patent 2362;673- MEANS ronrwroMA-rmAnL-Y TENSIONING- PAYING our OR HAULING INIROPE ON A HoisrrNG DRUM John C. Smaltz, New York,"N. Y., as'iguor to McKiernan- Terry Corporation, 'Harrison, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application March-1, 1956, Serial No. 568,733

, Z'Claim s. f(f(j:1."242 '54 The invention-here-disclosed is concerned with the problemof-holding-rope-properly engaged on a hoisting drum while paying out or hauling in when there is no load on the rope leaving or returning to the drum. Under such circumstances the tendency of the rope, particularly a heavy wire rope on a drum of normal diameter, is to spring away from the drum and to get out of the grooves in the drum, causing tangling and other difiiculties.

Objects of the invention are to overcome these tendencies and to provide simple and effective means for automatically tensioning the rope on the drum during paying out and hauling in operations.

This is accomplished in the invention by the provision of grip sheaves mounted to engage the rope free of thedrum and driven from the drum at a linear rate greater than that of the drum during paying out and at a linear rate less than that of the drum during hauling in rotation of the drum.

Other novel features of the invention and further desirable objects accomplished by the invention are set forth and will appear in the course of the following specification.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrates a present practical embodiment of the invention but structure may be modified and changed as regards this illustration, all within the true intent and broad scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

Figure 1 in the drawing is a plan view of a hoisting drum having the invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same with parts broken away and appearing in section.

Figure 3 is a broken part sectional detail as on substantially the plane of line 33 of Figure 1 of one of the one-way drive clutches.

Figure 4 is a broken sectional view on substantially the plane of line 44 of Figure 1 of the companion grip sheaves.

Figure 5 is an enlarged broken sectional view showing how the sheaves maybe specially grooved to grip the rope.

In the drawing, a hoisting drum is shown at 7 driven by gearing 8 and grooved at 9 for a wire hoisting rope 10.

At a point near the drum and where the rope is free and clear, companion grip sheaves 11 and 12 are located, geared together at 13 and yieldingly engaged with the rope, as by means of spring pressure.

FOr the latter purpose, one of the sheaves, 11, is shiftably mounted at 14 in the yoke frame 15 in which the sheaves are journaled and pressed toward the other sheave by spring 16.

Means for regulating the rope gripping pressure and allowing for slippage may be provided if found necessary or desirable and means for separating or holding the sheaves separated from the rope may be provided. Such means may be in the form of a cam positioned between thebearings for the :sheaves arranged when turned-to The grip sheaves are driven in the same direction as:

the'ropetravel'toward oraway from the drum; inother words, in-the direction of rotation of the drum.

T his. is accomplished in the present disclosureby sprock--- ets -17', 18 on thesha-ft 19 of-the. drum, carrying chains 20, 21 "to sprockets lz, 23'on shaft 24 which constitutes the.-drive shaft for the sheaves.

-Toall'ow traverse of the grip sheaves to the rope laying groove in the drum, the frame carrying the sheaves is mountedfor free lateral travel over the drive shaft and the latter is shown-assplinedat 25, in- Sl1dil1g driV1l1g'6l1-" gagement with-sheave 11-.

The rope is tensioned on the drum by driving the grip sheaves in the same direction but at greater linear speed than the drum in the paying out direction of rotation and in the same direction but at lesser linear speed in the hauling in direction of rotation of the, drum.

Accordingly, the first set of sprocket drive connections 17, 20, 22 is shown proportioned to drive the spline shaft at a faster rate and the second set of drive connections 18, 21, 23 proportioned to drive the spline shaft at a lesser rate of speed than the drum shaft and over-run ning one-way drive clutches 26, 27 are incorporated in the hubs of sprockets 22, 23, faced respectively to drive the sheaves only in the paying out and hauling in directions of rotation.

These one-way drive clutches may be ball or roller clutches, such as indicated, or other forms of such devices may be utilized.

To assure good traction the grip sheaves may have a profile such as shown in Figure 5 with a relief groove 28 at the center for eifecting a compressive engagement of the sheaves with the rope. v

The sheaves in gripping engagement with the rope and driven in the same direction but at greater speed in paying out and at lesser speed in hauling in, apply sufficient traction to maintain the rope in the groove in the drum even though the rope is free of load. While this is of great advantage in hoisting operations generally, it is of particular benefit in which equipment used for towing purposes where the rope is often paid out or hauled in prior to or after release from attachment to the towed object, at which time there is no load on the rope to hold it in engagement in the drum groove.

While shown applied to a single layer drum, it is contemplated that the invention may be used in a multiple layer operation by establishing a mean or average slippage between the grip sheaves and the rope which would vary with variable drum diameter produced by multiple layers. I 1

It is also considered that in some instances the grip sheaves may be propelled faster to create tension in the paying out direction and then be automatically braked to put a retarding pull on the rope in the rewinding direction of rotation of the drum.

An adjustable friction clutch may be used to provide the necessaryrestraining force on the inhaul and allow slipping on the outhaul when surface speed of the sheave is greater than the surface speed of the rope as generated by the rotation of the drum. This combination has advantages in that it eliminates one pair of sprockets, one chain and two free wheeling clutches.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a hoisting drum driven at different times in opposite directions and rope spooling on and oif said drum in said periods of reverse rotation, of means for automatically keeping the rope tight on the drum in both the winding on and unwinding operations, comprising companion rolls mounted in yielding grip engagement with the rope winding on and unwinding Fatented Dec. 2, 1958 from the drum and means controlled by direction of drum rotation for automatically synchronously driving said rolls in the winding on direction at lesser linear speed than the drumrotation in the winding on periods 'of rotation and'in the paying out, unwinding direction but at greater linear speed'than the drum rotation in the un- Wi'ndingpaying out periods of drum rotation.

2. The combination with a hoisting drum driven at different times in opposite directions and rope spooling on and off said drum in said periods of reverse rotation, of means for automatically keeping the rope tight on the drum in both the winding on and unwinding operations, comprising companion rolls mounted in yielding grip engag'ement with the rope winding on and unwinding from the drum and means controlled'by direction of drum rotation for automatically synchronously driving said rolls in the winding on direction at lesser linear speed than the drum rotation in the winding on periods of rotation References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,093,390 Foster Apr. 14, 1914 1,616,833 Stremel Feb. 8, 1927 1,763,023 Tyler June 10, 1930 2,247,004 Sullivan June 24, 1941 2,279,853 White Apr. 14, 1942 2,367,041 Moore et a1. 'Jan. 9, 1945 2,699,854 Trout Jan. 18, 1955 

